Method of preserving foodstuffs



1944- Y A. BARGEIQBOER 2,356,498

' METHOD OF PREERVING FOODS'IUFFS Filed Sept. 24, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- flda/f a geboer ATTONEY Aug. 22, 1944. BARGEBQER 2,356,498

METHOD OF PRESERVING FOODSTUFFS i Filed Sept. 24, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fi ATTORNEX I Aug. 22, 1944. BARGEBOER 2,356,498

- METHOD OF PRESERVING FOODSTUFFS Filed Sept. 24, 1940 :s Sheets-Sheet s ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug.

METHOD orrnnsnnvmc Foons'rUrFs Adolf Bargebor, The Hague, Netherlands;

v vested in the Alien Property. Custodian Application September 24, 1940, Serial No. 358,093 In the Netherlands December 23, 1939- 1 Claim. (c1. 99-150) When-preserving foodstuffs in bottles, tins,

or the like, especially milk products with a high.

percentage of moisture, it appears to be greatly important that the air at the top ofithe "liquid is removed before closing the containeril 5 This holds as well for products whicharepreserved beforefilling as after filling, e. glby heattreatment in the container. j

At this last category it was mostly done in'this way that the whole tin or bottle was heated till almost 100 C. before closing, in order to expulse the air by the generated water-vapour. It might also be done inifilling the bottle before closing with liquid of high temperature or by evacuating the bottle before closing. p

All these methods 'give rise to difllcu lties and mostly a decrease of quality.

such a way that the tubes partly into the neck of thebottl'e.

- As a consequence of the: relativelylow density ofth'eair this isexpulsed -by a very small quantity of carbonic-acid gas and the flow; canbe so slow.

that the. liq id surface remains bliiet fand thus during this filling practically no carbonic-acid penetrates intothe liquid. .When the bottle is closed and is agitated, the gas mixes with the liquid and dissolves completely, thus causing a high vacuum in top of the liquid.

Besides carbonic-acid, also ammonia-gas, chlorine or the-like may be applied, or a mixture of The invention now eliminates these difficulties as follows: before closing the container the air in the space in top of the contents is expulsed partly or completely by means of a gas which is soluble in the liquid contents such as carbonic acid gas, ammonia, etc.

After closing, the gas in top of the container dissolves in the water of the food-stuff and, as a result, a high vacuum is generated in the container.

It is experienced that the high vacuum atmosphere l of non-oxygenous gas has remarkable good preserving qualities, especially if carbon- U the high density of this gas the air is easfly ex pulsed.

Moreover this carbonic acid gas especially in highly-sterilized liquid milk products, has a very favourable influence on the flavour and colour,

and when heating undesirable formation is' avoided.

According to the invention this process can be applied in a simple way, by blowing carbon-dioxide in the space on top of the contents, after As tins gas is a very dense one, the empty botthe may also be filled with carbonic acid gas and afterwards filled with the product. I Accordingto the invention a simple device may boiling, with froth these with carbonic-acid.

For closing the bottles it is usual to make use of machines which seal the bottle with a capsule or a 'crowncork using a periodically rising and descending device.

Accordingto the invention one or more supplytubes for the gas may be fixed to the device illustrated ina simple way andwhen the device makes the descending movement the tubes descend in.

the bottles which arealready placed in the proper position under this machine and in this moment 7 blow the gas into the necks. At the next movementthese bottles are shifted and closed, etc.

3 By means of this device a dosing-device for the gas may be employed in order to supply the gas in the exact quantity and at the right moment.

Figs. 1 and 2 show schematically a device according to the invention. 'Bottles 1 are period-1 ically shifted two places by means of conveyor--' belt 2. After standstill, the capulse-head 3,3 descends along; conducting-device 4- and supplies in the known way the bottles with a crowncork 5. The arm 6 is fixed to the head 3, 3, which arm bears the small tubes 1'."

On these small tubes the centeringcone 8 is slidingly arranged, suspended-to the spring 9 whereas the tubes are connected with rubber hosesto the valve box H, which is fixed to the Further the cam-l6 is I 7 3-4, which runs along the roll. l5 of-the valvestem.of'thevalve-box-ll. The valve-box isconbe applied by having the filled tins, bottles o the like, passed under tubes or the like which as an example blow carbonic-acid gas on top of the contents.

Furthermore it is possible according to theinvention, especially in case of treatment of milk products to be preserved, to employ the device in nected via small tank M to reducing valve IS with the gas cylinder II. The system operates asfol lows:

During the period that the bottles areshifted (Fig. 2) 3, 3 is in the upward position and valve- Y 1 box ll isclosed.,- The gas fromcylinder l2 flows into reservoir l4: and. the-pressure rises :during 7 1 this period to a predetermined value. After stopping of the conveyor belt (Fig. 1) ,bapsule-head or the like descend fixed to the capsule-head a the tin is closed.

3, 3 descends, whereat the tubes 9 descend into the neck of the bottles, centered by the cones 8, whereas in the almost lowest position the cam l6 presses open the valve and the gas flows into the necks of the bottles. At the same time, the bottles I which had been supplied with gas at the former movement, are now supplied with a crowncork 5, etc.

By application of the dosing-device I3, I4, H,

I the gas consumption is limited to the minium and the air expulsion takes place without the gas penetrating into the liquid.

In the same way the tins closing machine can be constructed, namely, the air on top of the liquid in the tins is expelled, just before covering the tin with the lid, by a small flow of gas, preferably carbonic acid.

In Fig. 3 a device for the purpose is schematically demonstrated. The filled tins l8 are moved by a conveyor belt ll. Above the tins is fixed a pipe IQ- with nozzles 20. The expulsing gas is blown in the tips, so eliminating the air in top of the contents. The lid 2| is'now applied and For this purpose a dense gas, such as carbon dioxide is preferred for preventing the mixing with air after expulsion. The nozzles 20 may be arranged preferably tangentially to the liquid surface, as shown in Fig. 3.

I claim: V

A method of vacuum packing foodstuffs consisting largely of water comprising. the steps of filling the water containing foodstuff into a container to a level short of the capacity of the container, to form an air zone in the upper portion of the container, slowly feeding substantially tangentially to the surface of said foodstufl' a small amount of water soluble gas directly into said zone to displace the air therefrom, without disturbing the'surface of the foodstufi contents,

sealing the container. tightly, and thereafter causing dissolution of the gas in the water contained in the foodstuff contents to produce a vacuum inthe container on top of the foodstuficontents.

ADOLF BARGEBOER. 

